Israel's Tragic Fire

Responding to the most devastating fire in Israel's history.

Dedicated to the firefighters from Israel and neighboring countries who are grappling with this epic blaze; to the families of the 41 victims who have lost their lives; to the injured fighting for their lives; to the thousands of displaced people; and to those in the Land of Israel who haven't had a drop of rain since the spring.

When a tragic disaster occurs before us, we have several instinctive responses.

First, we ask: What can I do to help?

Sometimes we can volunteer. Other times we can only send money. Of course, we can always pray.

Our first response must always be: How can I help? Judaism, as a system of thought and way of life, is built on chesed (kindness) – caring about others and taking responsibility.

One possible response to this question is to look for physical causes. A careless camper. An arsonist. An unprepared firefighting infrastructure. A 9-month drought that left the land dry as a tinderbox.

Examining these issues is of course an integral part of taking responsibility for what has occurred. But there is a spiritual response to the question that needs to be examined as well.

Jewish tradition states unequivocally that every physical challenge has a spiritual failure at its root.

One could consult with a prophet to interpret the spiritual root of a challenge.

In the days of the Prophets (until 6th century BCE), one could consult with a “local prophet” to interpret the spiritual root of one’s physical challenges; Jewish leaders would consult with a national prophet to interpret national crises.

Today, without prophets, our steps are less confident. We know for certain that there is a spiritual lesson amidst this tragic fire, but we cannot know for certain what that lesson is. We are left grappling for answers in the dark.

Yet the question remains: What is the Almighty’s message to us in this?

Here is one guideline that can help. Since I am not a prophet, as a rule, I can only interpret what happens to me, not what happens to you. Those directly affected by the fire are getting a different message than those witnessing the fire from afar. Every person receives his own unique message, privy only to him.

Since the Almighty’s message is tailor made for me, any casting of spiritual blame on others doesn't address the question. So after we've done everything in our power to help, we should turn the spotlight on ourselves. We need to examine our own lives and see where we need to grow, and strive to undertake a spiritual accounting. We may never fully understand the tragedy, but the personal transformation that it spurs can make a causative impact in the spiritual realms – and bring the desperately-needed rains of blessing to our parched land.

There is a truth that transcends nature, one that we cannot always fully fathom. This is the core of the Chanukah story, where the oil miraculously burned for eight days. Yes, there was certainly a physical cause of this forest fire. But a spiritually sensitive person also understands that an inscrutable Divine Hand is always present. If we can absorb that simple lesson, this horrible tragedy will have at least increased our spiritual sensitivity and connection.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 6

(6)
Debbie,
December 7, 2010 3:20 PM

Pray for rain!

We have to keep asking Hashem to open his treasure houses for us and give us the rain we so desparately need. It's been said the greatest threat to Israel's existence isn't terror; it's drought.

(5)
SMB,
December 7, 2010 7:23 AM

HELP OUT AND BRING BLESSING

I don't know why this happened, however I agree that in life, we can each take a moment to think both about how to help both physically and spiritually. By giving to others, plus working on personal growth, hopefully this will bring blessing.
Tthe Support and Unity that people show to others is beautiful, Thank G-d. may the unity among Am Yisrael bring blessing

(4)
Rachel,
December 6, 2010 8:03 PM

Blaming the victims

Saying that a disaster possibly due to carelessness/ negligence and certainly due to natural conditions (drought) is also because of spiritual failings is insensitive and creates an excuse to do nothing to help.

(3)
CSW,
December 5, 2010 9:41 PM

Zealotry

Forest fires do not occur to punish iniquity. They occur because conditions are right and an ignition source starts a chain reaction. When I read of religious "leaders" who take it upon themselves to interpret G'd's will--whether Jewish or otherwise--I cannot see any difference in the same ignorant fanaticism that threatens to unravel the developed world. We would all be better off is people stopped applying 8th C. mysticism to 21st century events.

(2)
Dorothy Frances Goldstein,
December 5, 2010 9:17 PM

Neighboring Nations Who Are Helping

Dare we hope that those neighboring nations coming to Israel's aid may form a closer and more lasting bond? May we join with them to enhance mutual support of each other and enrich all our futures.

(1)
Mordy,
December 5, 2010 5:21 PM

Blaming Others

Unfortunately, a rabbi already came out and blamed the fire for the sin of not keeping the Shabbat. As Rabbi Seinfeld pointed out, we are not prophets and cannot judge the reason for the fire. Besides which, many homes of religious Jews who keep the Shabbat were destroyed as well. Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) was rebuked by G-d for speaking badly about the Jewish people. The Jewish people are the apple of G-d's Eye, and no one, rabbis included, can make blanket statements without being privy to the thoughts of G-d.

I’m wondering what happened to the House of David. After the end of the Kingdom of Judah was there any memory what happened to King David’s descendants? Is there any family today which can trace its lineage to David – and whom the Messiah might descend from?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Thank you for your good question. There is no question that King David’s descendants are alive today. God promised David through Nathan the Prophet that the monarchy would never depart from his family (II Samuel 7:16). The prophets likewise foretell the ultimate coming of the Messiah, descendant of David, the “branch which will extend from the trunk of Jesse,” who will restore the Davidic dynasty and Israel’s sovereignty (Isaiah 11:1, see also Jeremiah 33:15, Ezekiel 37:25).

King David’s initial dynasty came to an end with the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian Exile. In an earlier expulsion King Jehoiachin was exiled by Nebuchadnezzar, together with his family and several thousand of the Torah scholars and higher classes (II Kings 24:14-16). Eleven years later the Temple was destroyed. The final king of Judah, Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah, was too exiled to Babylonia. He was blinded and his children were executed (II Kings 25:7).

However, Jehoiachin and his descendants did survive in exile. Babylonian cuneiform records actually attest to Jehoiachin and his family receiving food rations from the government. I Chronicles 3:17:24 likewise lists several generations of his descendants (either 9 or 15 generations, depending on the precise interpretation of the verses), which would have extended well into the Second Temple era. (One was the notable Zerubbabel, grandson of Jehoiachin, who was one of the leaders of the return to Zion and the construction the Second Temple.)

In Babylonia, the leader of the Jewish community was known as the Reish Galuta (Aramaic for “head of the exile,” called the Exilarch in English). This was a hereditary position recognized by the Babylonian government. Its bearer was generally quite wealthy and powerful, well-connected to the government and wielding much authority over Babylonian Jewry.

According to Jewish tradition, the Exilarch was a direct descendant of Jehoiachin. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 5a) understands Genesis 49:10 – Jacob’s blessing to Judah that “the staff would not be removed from Judah” – as a reference to the Exilarchs in Babylonia, “who would chastise Israel with the staff,” i.e., who exercised temporal authority over the Jewish community. It stands to reason that these descendants of Judah were descendants of David’s house, who would have naturally been the leaders of the Babylonian community, in fulfillment of God’s promise to David that authority would always rest in his descendants.

There is also a chronological work, Seder Olam Zutta (an anonymous text from the early Middle Ages), which lists 39 generations of Exilarchs beginning with Jehoiachin. One of the commentators to Chronicles, the Vilna Gaon, states that the first one was Elionai of I Chronicles 3:23.

The position of Exilarch lasted for many centuries. The Reish Galuta is mentioned quite often in the Talmud. As can be expected, some were quite learned themselves, some deferred to the rabbis for religious matters, while some, especially in the later years, fought them and their authority tooth and nail.

Exilarchs existed well into the Middle Ages, throughout the period of the early medieval scholars known as the Gaonim. The last ones known to history was Hezekiah, who was killed in 1040 by the Babylonian authorities, although he was believed to have had sons who escaped to Iberia. There are likewise later historical references to descendants of the Exilarchs, especially in northern Spain (Catelonia) and southern France (Provence).

Beyond that, there is no concrete evidence as to the whereabouts of King David’s descendants. Supposedly, the great French medieval sage Rashi (R. Shlomo Yitzchaki) traced his lineage to King David, although on a maternal line. (In addition, Rashi himself had only daughters.) The same is said of Rabbi Yehuda Loewe of Prague (the Maharal). Since Ashkenazi Jews are so interrelated, this is a tradition, however dubious today, shared by many Ashkenazi Jews.

In any event, we do not need be concerned today how the Messiah son of David will be identified. He will be a prophet, second only to Moses. God Himself will select him and appoint him to his task. And he himself, with his Divine inspiration, will resolve all other matters of Jewish lineage (Maimonides Hilchot Melachim 12:3).

Yahrtzeit of Kalonymus Z. Wissotzky, a famous Russian Jewish philanthropist who died in 1904. Wissotzky once owned the tea concession for the Czar's entire military operation. Since the Czar's soldiers numbered in the millions and tea drinking was a daily Russian custom, this concession made Wissotzky very rich. One day, Wissotzky was approached by the World Zionist Organization to begin a tea business in Israel. He laughed at this preposterous idea: the market was small, the Turkish bureaucracy was strict, and tea leaves from India were too costly to import. Jewish leaders persisted, and Wissotzky started a small tea company in Israel. After his death, the tea company passed to his heirs. Then in 1917, the communists swept to power in Russia, seizing all of the Wissotzky company's assets. The only business left in their possession was the small tea company in Israel. The family fled Russia, built the Israeli business, and today Wissotzky is a leading brand of tea in Israel, with exports to countries worldwide -- including Russia.

Building by youth may be destructive, while when elders dismantle, it is constructive (Nedarim 40a).

It seems paradoxical, but it is true. We make the most important decisions of our lives when we are young and inexperienced, and our maximum wisdom comes at an age when our lives are essentially behind us, and no decisions of great moment remain to be made.

While the solution to this mystery eludes us, the facts are evident, and we would be wise to adapt to them. When we are young and inexperienced, we can ask our elders for their opinion and then benefit from their wisdom. When their advice does not coincide with what we think is best, we would do ourselves a great service if we deferred to their counsel.

It may not be popular to champion this concept. Although we have emerged from the era of the `60s, when accepting the opinion of anyone over thirty was anathema, the attitude of dismissing older people as antiquated and obsolete has-beens who lack the omniscience of computerized intelligence still lingers on.

Those who refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. We would do well to swallow our youthful pride and benefit from the teachings of the school of experience.

Today I shall...

seek advice from my elders and give more serious consideration to deferring to their advice when it conflicts with my desires.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...